Such a holding device is known from the prior art. The end face of a stuffing machine used for stuffing and twisting off sausages has normally provided thereon the twist-off gear unit from which a filling tube projects horizontally. For producing the sausages, the sausage casing is pulled onto the filling tube, said casing being then gradually pulled off the filling tube during the stuffing and twist-off operations. In automatic sausage production, casing brakes are used, which tighten and decelerate the casing on the filling tube during stuffing. The casing brakes are installed in the holding device. The holding device has the function of holding the casing brake in position. In the case of driven brakes, a power train is accommodated in the holding device, said power train accelerating and decelerating the casing brake e.g. in synchronism with the filling tube.
When occupying the operating position, the holding device and the casing brake, respectively, enclose the free end of the filling tube. In view of the fact that the casing brake must encompass the free end of the filling tube in the operating position, that free end is not accessible in the operating position. Hence, the brake ring housing must be pivoted away for pulling on new ruffled casings.
There are two types of holding devices:
a first holding device is shown e.g. in connection with FIG. 9a, the head 3 of the holding device 1 being first moved linearly in the axial direction of the holding device and in the direction of the axis of the filling tube, respectively, by actuating a pivot lever 9, and, subsequently, it is moved upwards or downwards. The holding device is here arranged on a housing 4 of the twist-off gear unit. This system entails the drawback that, when the brake head is pivoted away about the horizontal axis, it may collide with subsequent processing equipment. When the head 3 is pivoted away in the downward direction, it collides e.g. with the product on the table. When it is pivoted away in the upward direction, the filling tube will be less easily accessible for pulling on the casing.
As can be seen from FIG. 9b, holding devices with a circular movement of the head about a vertical axis are known as well. Such a device is especially also shown in connection with FIGS. 10 and 11. By actuating a pivot lever 9, the head 3 of the holding device 1 is moved, together with the casing brake, first linearly in the direction of the axis of the filling tube and, subsequently, it is pivoted away about a vertical shaft A. The vertical shaft A is arranged such that the radius of the pivotal movement will suffice for pivoting the brake away from the filling tube 7 without any collision taking place. In the case of driven brakes, it will here, however, be necessary to decouple the power train, i.e. the drive shaft in the holding device must be decoupled from the drive on the housing of the twist-off gear unit, in this case at point B, since it is not possible to maintain the power train in alignment. This has, among other effects, the effect that the angular position of the brake relative to the filling tube gets lost. The movement takes place radially about the fixed center of rotation A, which is located at a comparatively large distance from the drive shaft. The resultant movement is therefore also disadvantageous in view of various disturbing edges.